School Board, Transfers, and more (updated)

Toward the end of last night’s lengthy board meeting, which was mostly devoted to other issues, the school board voted to approve the plan to relocate the Portola students to portable classrooms on the lower pad. The tentative move-in date will be next year after the winter break. The vote was 3-1 in favor, with Kronenberg, Medrano, and Ramsey voting in favor. Thurman voted against the plan, and Miles was absent.

Charles Ramsey again explained how he was against the move in principle, saying that he felt the building isn’t so unsafe that it justifies the cost and trouble of a temporary move while the new school is being built. Tony Thurmond voted no, saying that the extra time that this would take compared to the “Parent Choice” plan that was proposed in January meant that the students would be exposed to earthquake risks for too long (about an extra six months). He proposed a motion to adopt the “parent choice” plan, but there was no second and no vote on that.

I feel that this is the right decision on this issue, and I’m very pleased that the board voted to approve it. Many people fought long and hard for this vote– thanks to all for the time, input, and care regarding this and other school issues!